Professor Layton: Wonderland
by KeepSmilingOn329
Summary: A murder took place. The Professor saw it. The madness begins as five people unexpectedly fall into Wonderland to find it now twisted and dark, and the Professor can't help but feel this has connection to the murder. Why? Who is the notorious Puppetmaster and why is Wonderland decaying because of him? What measures should you take when what you treasure most is your worst enemy?


**Well, I suppose some of you may be wondering where I was all this time. The most honest answer I can think of to that question is, 'I don't know'. I guess I've been on a giant hiatus all this time, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused. Also, I do apologize for not updating Professor Layton and the Dead of Night. I guess I have…urk…kind of lost interest in continuing, so I'm terribly sorry for those who have been waiting for the next chapter. So anyway, recently I've been thinking of new story ideas and I came up with this one. It is loosely based on Alice in Wonderland but more on American McGee's Alice/Alice: Madness Returns (a new obsession of mine). I have tried to keep this storyline fairly original. It has the same air to it as Inception, so brace yourself for quite a confusing journey (if I have the nerve to complete this one again) down the rabbit hole!**

**I have been thinking of writing a 'horror saga' of sorts. Notice that this is the same genre as Professor Layton- Sacrifice and has a very similar title base. I'm not sure, but let's just see how this one goes. I started PL-S at around this time, so maybe I'll have better luck with overcoming writer's block with that in mind. Without further ado, I present to you, **_**Professor Layton- Wonderland**_**! Enjoy, everyone! (I still don't get why doesn't allow dashes/hyphens in their titles. Also there's that new image thing which I really don't want to get tangled up in, so I'm afraid every story cover of mine will be a picture of Saeko-San aha XD)**

Professor Layton- Wonderland

_**The destruction of Wonderland is nigh. Do you have what it takes to save it from its demise?**_

_A murder took place. The Professor saw it. The madness begins as five people unexpectedly fall into Wonderland to find it now twisted and dark, and the Professor can't help but feel this has connection to the murder. Why? Who is the notorious Puppetmaster and why is Wonderland decaying because of him? What measures should you take when what you treasure most is your worst enemy?_

Chapter 1- Falling Down

I couldn't handle it anymore. All of my memories flooded back in one instance, sending my brain into a sudden state in which it almost erupted. It fiercely throbbed and pounded against my heavy head, leaving my weak hands no choice but to fly up and attempt to massage away the pain. It was futile. There was nothing I could do.

_I'm not insane. No, I will never be insane. This is all just a product of my deranged mind, something that I can push down into nothingness._

I saw it. I witnessed the sight as the girl fell to her knees in an explosion of crimson. It poured out of her mouth, her stomach, her eyes… everywhere. I couldn't halt the rise of bile at the back of my hoarse throat. The world clouded over as I attempted to run away, the tears streaming down my cheeks. I was too intoxicated in my own world to notice I was screaming for my life.

_I open my mouth, but no sound emits. I can't produce one. My voice has escaped me, flown away into the air to a point of no return. I ask myself, 'what have I done to deserve this?'_

Madness is a disease that can envelop even the most unsuspecting of people. I had learnt that as I fought violently against my own subconscious, trying to seal away the vulgar memories of past events. It was a dream, yes. But what was I talking about?

_Was that a dream, or was this a dream? Was this a dream, or was that all a dream? Is this whole life a dream? My head aches. My eyes lower. My legs are numb, yet they keep running no matter what I try. It is like I have lost control of my own life. What is happening? _

The last occurrence I could remember was that I had slammed onto the concrete floor and let myself collapse into a veil of darkness, dwindling further down faster than I could have ever imagined. My mentality shattered into shards. I was going under…down, down, down…

_He's here again. I may have destroyed him once but his presence will remain lingering in my mind forevermore, no matter how I try to rid of him. All I can think about before I lose the fight between me and myself is that tonight I was a completely different person. _

_I saw it happen. My only way to save myself from impending death is to bury the lies deep inside and return to what once was. _

* * *

"Professor!" Called the voice only identifiable as a young blue-clad apprentice's. "Professor, please wake up soon! We have a terribly important event today, remember!"

Professor Layton's only response was that his eyes feebly fluttered open. He stirred for a little while and slowly raised himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his vision. Oh dear. He must have fallen asleep on his sofa again in the middle of his office at Gressenheller after a hard night's work of marking too many papers. He straightened his hat, quietly yawning, before turning his head to the side to greet the boy with all the strength he could manage.

"Good morning, my boy. Did you sleep well last night?" He half-slurred tiredly.

Luke Triton nodded, beaming a sunny smile that immediately brightened Layton's morning. "Of course I did, Professor! I couldn't wait for the party so I retired early!"

Layton's eyes snapped open and he returned to his senses. The party! There was a party today! He also acknowledged the fact that he was in such a sorry, unkempt state in front of his own apprentice. How unbecoming of a gentleman. He forced a smile and neatly pushed his jacket that he had been using in place of a duvet to the side of him.

"So there is! My apologies, Luke, I seem to have overslept. Do forgive me for my current situation" Layton beckoned, returning to his usual personality to spare himself of more embarrassment.

"It's perfectly alright, Professor, I was the one who came in too early" Luke laughed, waving his hand dismissively and helping the Professor up to his feet.

The door to the right clicked loudly, announcing someone's arrival. Behind the barrier stood no one other than Flora, who was pushing the wood open with her back as she had her hands loaded with a tray of tea. While her cooking was, to say the least, inedible, Layton and Luke had to confess that they did enjoy a steaming cup of Flora's earl grey tea. She even took the time to toss in a few more sugar cubes into the blend for Luke's liking. It was rather crude to say so, but Layton secretly thought that this skill was one of Flora's only concerning the kitchen.

"Hello Professor, I hope you had a good night's sleep. I simply can't wait for the party!" She chimed, setting the tray down onto the coffee table in a space which wasn't already littered with papers.

Layton agreed with the girl and picked up a boiling cup of tea, tilting it back ever so slightly so that the piping hot liquid could meet his lips. When he had taken a few refreshing sips, he placed the mug back onto the tray. It was then when he finally realised that Flora and Luke were dressed in completely different attire than their usual, all for the party of course.

Flora's peach ensemble was replaced by a straight violet dress that came to just above her knees, the silky material clinging to her skin with nowhere else to go. What makeup she wore was hardly noticeable and it simply just enhanced her beauty. With glossy raven heels to complete her look, Flora appeared absolutely stunning. Luke also looked incredibly smart, what with his black trousers with a vest of the same colour over a short-sleeved pristine white blouse. Layton admired what a fantastic gentleman and woman they were growing to be.

It was also around that point, after he had commented on how thrilled he was, when Layton noticed that he hadn't dressed for the occasion himself. He hastily sprung up and rushed over to the second closet he kept in his office for emergencies. He picked out the smartest suit in the large wooden case before dashing into the bathroom and getting changed as fast as he could.

Flora and Luke perched onto the sofa, taking the Professor's place, and waited patiently for the older man to finish. They sat in quiet, the only sound around them being their exhales. Occasionally they would smile at each other, but other than that they had nothing left to say in exchange for an incredibly awkward silence.

After a few moments, Luke peered at the watch sat snugly around his wrist and gasped, "Professor, we have ten minutes!"

Layton decided that it was finally the day to purchase a strong enough bag to bring all of his students' papers home so he didn't have the opportunity to oversleep in his office of all places again.

Luckily, the tea party had begun immediately the Professor, Luke and Flora had arrived and took their seats. There was dancing, music, laughing and drinking; signs of every guest there enjoying themselves. Luke and Flora even joined in on the dancing, with Flora being a little shyer than the rest of the crowd and Luke performing to his heart's content. The Professor smiled and sighed happily, absent-mindedly drinking his tea while staring into the cloudy sky.

This tea party was held by the founder of the lush park it was placed, Robert Graham, in memorial of his daughter, Natalia. Everyone from the certain area of London was invited; his park was very popular. Natalia had met her unfortunate fate of death exactly one week ago, striking sadness into many hearts. It appeared as if Natalia had had plenty of friends as there were so many mourning her demise, and even Layton couldn't help but feel melancholy at the thought of a young woman perishing at such an age.

She had been murdered brutally at an unknown location. Apparently her body had been killed one place and left to rot another. Layton winced and felt something against his head pound, but held it down as he mourned silently in his place. Robert had told everyone that Natalia loved to party and so they should hold a get together before her funeral, so she could watch everyone have fun and allow herself to live on in her peers. It was quite a tragic story, Layton mused, but nonetheless it was touching how her father only cared genuinely about her happiness even after she had departed from this world.

After the main fun and games, everyone that was there picked a beautiful lily from a grand selection and took turns to place the graceful flower onto the memorial of Natalia, the fragrance being uplifting in complete contrast to the solemn atmosphere that suddenly fell upon the guests. The sudden burst of colour only complimented the landscape further. Layton, Luke and Flora stood in line with flowers in hand. Although none of them personally knew Natalia, they felt it be most appropriate to pay their respects toward the girl and her father.

"It's awfully sad, isn't it?" Flora whispered to Luke behind her, still holding her gaze onto the array of lilies a mere few metres away from the three of them.

"Yeah! To think, I didn't even know that his daughter died until Mr Graham announced this procedure after all that fun! I feel awfully terrible now" Luke confessed glumly, scratching his hazel hair under his black cap.

The Professor couldn't chuckle- it would only direct attention towards him for laughing at a girl's death- but he did give Luke a half smile and place a warm hand on his shoulder. "No worries, Luke, Mr Graham invited us all here to have a good time and remember his dear daughter for whom she was. I'm sure she wouldn't like to see everyone sad because of her, would she?"

"I guess not…" Luke sighed and glanced down to his feet.

Layton couldn't stop a slight laugh escaping his lips. When he saw everyone oblivious, his gaze travelled up to the sky again as he reflected on the past. Somehow, Natalia's kind and outgoing spirit reminded him of Claire… the way she kept herself from being down, the way she always lifted herself up and convinced others how nothing was wrong. Claire would never have wanted so much commotion over her death. Even though she was roughly snatched away from him at such a time, Layton did his best not to dwell on his depression and capture a portion of her good nature.

Besides, if Claire were here, would Layton still be accompanied by the two children he adored so, Luke and Flora? It was a grave and rather austere question to inquire…but Layton couldn't help but cross over into his dark side and ponder such thoughts sometimes. But if it weren't for Claire, would Layton have made that sole promise to himself back then that he'd forever keep this top hat on his head and always act as the picture of a true gentleman? Probably not.

It was times like these when Layton chose to dig deeper into his inner thoughts, past the shell of the gentleman who loved tea and puzzles. His self on the inside hardly showed itself except on rare occasion, and so no one he knew believed it to exist. But did it really? Layton's optimistic thinking often lightened his mood, so did he really have two sides to himself? It was a puzzle. An enigma he may never succeed in finding the answer to…

A ruffle of grass to Layton's right. His head leaned over questioningly.

What he saw was most peculiar. A white rabbit sat, or rather _stood,_ by the bushes in an obscure area with a familiar golden pocket watch clutched tightly in its paw. It hopped on its hind legs when it didn't feel the need to pick itself up straight and _walk._ When the rabbit caught sight of Layton's inquisitive eyes staring at it, the white animal gasped and quickly sprinted away with all of its might. The man with the top hat's eyes narrowed before blinking rapidly. He was being delusional. There was no way that a rabbit could gasp…right? His desire for more knowledge overcame him in the end.

"Luke, Flora, I need you to wait here for a moment please. I will be back as soon as possible, but for now just wait for me, alright?" Layton told the pair, refusing to bring his eyes away from the rabbit's direction.

"But Professor-!" Luke began, surprised that Layton would suddenly desert at this time.

"I'll be with you in less than five minutes! If anyone should question where I am, tell them I'm using the lavatory!" The man called back as he picked up the pace of his feet.

He was quite reluctant to leave Luke and Flora on their own, but what could possibly go wrong for them if he was only quickly going to the toilet?

'Curiosity killed the cat', Layton reminded himself, but he needed to desperately know if he was hallucinating or not. A gasping rabbit who could walk, run, and hold objects intelligently? Layton had a hard time believing the description himself. But nevertheless, he couldn't let this puzzle go unsolved. That was one of his morals anyway, correct?

As he followed the indented patterns in the grass, Layton increased his run's speed once he was fully out of view from the rest of the party. For a rabbit, it didn't seem to move very fast, and Layton could somehow tell exactly where it was going. The rabbit came closer into view; Layton was getting nearer! All he had to do was touch it and then he would see whether all of this was just for nothing.

Layton's hand outstretched as the rabbit slowed down and effectively travelled further into his reach. His journey was now unexpectedly progressing into the woodland. This was confirmed when he felt the light scraping of leaves against his bare skin around his ankles, but Layton didn't stop there. He had to achieve his goal or else the puzzle wouldn't be solved and he'd regret this for the life of him. Layton's fingers just edged the fluffy surface of the rabbit, being incredibly close, and then… it went.

It just disappeared. Like that.

The man brought himself to a halt, steadying his arms for balance. He straightened his hat for the second time that day before surveying his surroundings for all the possibilities in which the rabbit could have escaped to. When he found nothing, Layton reasoned that it was just his mad thinking. The rabbit wasn't real, of course it wasn't! How could a rabbit just demonstrate all of that and then suddenly disintegrate into thin air? He deduced that this wasn't only the day when he would buy a bag for his students' work, but it was also the day when he would stop looking into his own soul. It would result in dark, dark things.

Layton was just about to turn back to the hubbub of the party when he noticed something glinting out of the corner of his eye. He moved his head slightly for a better view of the situation, and that was when he saw it.

The pocket watch. The golden pocket watch that the rabbit was holding was placed upon dry leaves and other debris, and beyond the pocket watch was a large…hole. It appeared quite vast indeed, and where it led to was unknown. Layton bent down, retrieved the pocket watch and then hung his head over the hole, squinting his eyes for a light source other than what little amount of sun rays that pooled through gaps in the trees there were. The pocket watch felt cool and real in his palm, almost declaring that it was authentic and not whatever Layton believed it to be previously. He directed his line of sight into the rabbit hole and dangled the pocket watch by its chain of the same colour.

"Hello?" Exclaimed Layton into the hole. "I have your pocket watch!"

Layton straightened himself up and sighed, thinking himself absolutely mad for actually shouting into a rabbit hole to a rabbit itself that he was in possession of its pocket watch. It was certainly ridiculous. But…if it was that ridiculous, then who could this pocket watch belong to? It was exactly the same as the one the white rabbit was holding earlier. This was too real to be a practical joke placed on him. And who would play such a terrible prank, anyway, at such an event?

The Professor of archaeology sucked in a deep breath and yelled louder into the hole as he was a little more convinced that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He placed his hands on each side of the giant rabbit hole for support.

"Hello_? Rabbit?"_ Layton hollered, but maintained his calm exterior.

He listened to his voice echo for a while and told himself with this information that this hole was too deep to measure. Layton was just about to bellow again, amplitude raised, but a sharp shock jolted his entire system and he soon found himself being thrust forward. The shock was that his hands had slipped and given way, leaving all the work to his body. His weight brought him down and it took him only a few seconds to realise his dire circumstance.

He was_ falling. _

Layton let out a surprised 'oh!' as he hurtled down at an accelerating speed, flipping and turning as gravity held him in its firm grasp. His hands' immediate reaction was to shoot up to his top hat and keep it on his head. Soil and dirt flew into his face, blocking his vision for a time, before he glanced up to the surface. He was being enveloped in darkness and he was prohibited from doing anything. Layton knew he was rocketing to his death.

His arms reached out to the side of the tunnel in an attempt to slow down his flight but to no avail. The constricted sight of the forest was gradually disappearing from view, and all Layton could do was cry out in panic. The hysteria of the moment overwhelmed his every sense, sending frenzied waves up and down his body. The world was spinning. Layton had to admit that he hadn't been this terrified in a long time.

Everything changed colours. Blue, pink, yellow, green, every colour Layton could conjure up in his head flashed in front of his eyes, forcing him to come to the conclusion that this was all a dream. It couldn't be, though. The emotions coursing through his veins were too legitimate and he would have woken up by now. Illusions of tables, pianos and other miscellaneous objects hovered over him, the sight and noise being almost more than enough to handle. He felt as if his brain was imploding and his eardrums were bursting out.

He tried to call out a strong, solid cry for help but what escaped his mouth came nothing more than an incoherent whisper. Layton was so shocked, he couldn't even describe what he was feeling. There was nothing, nothing but—

_Pain._

Layton choked on his own breath as he slammed onto a marble surface, knocking the wind out of his body. A terrible agony in his skull.

He allowed himself to lie there for a little while before picking himself up and running his rough, grazed hands along where the source of the various scratches were to try and soothe the unpleasant sensation. His hat had rolled off of his head because of the impact but it was still next to him, a fact that Layton found incredibly reassuring.

The man shifted his eyes around in search of anything recognizable but found nothing that he could render valuable. The room he had landed in was…strange to say the least, what with its dark brown hue and chequered flooring. His eyes caught sight of a wooden door at the end of a narrow hallway, its destination unknown. Layton instantly decided that that would be where he would go next and see where his most peculiar investigation could lead him.

As he ignored the pain to stand up and fit his chocolate top hat snugly around his crown where it belonged, Layton felt that he was still, subconsciously, holding something. He brought his right hand over into his blurred view and raised his eyebrows when he saw what the item was.

The watch.

Layton had prioritized keeping the golden pocket watch close throughout his whole journey down.


End file.
